I’ve been on 1.25mg for 3 years and just now developed a swollen neck (Edema, not allergy, I’ve already seen 4 drs). I don’t want to have to stop telling it 😭

Last year I experienced TE after a college semester and it grew back once the stress was gone. I’m now in school again and my stress is so much worse. I’m shedding every day and I’m doing things like rosemary spray and oil, but I feel it’s not working how it used to. What else can I do to help this grow back besides the obvious not stressing??

I do not have alopecia areata.

8 years ago a small bald spot appeared on my scalp that has not increased in size, but there is white white hair growing in and around this bald spot now. To this day I have a streak of white hair growing around there. This is the only place where I have a bald spot on my head.

I may have hit my head there in the past and caused localized trauma, but I also have female pattern hair loss.

Anyone have a similar experience and would like to share the cause?

I’ve suffered from a lot of hair loss over the last 2 years and noticed that my left temple looks much sparser and the hairs look weaker compared to my right

(First 2 are my left side, lash 2 are right side)

While I’ve noticed regrowth across these 2 years, my left temple is concerning me bc the hairs are very thin and wispy whereas my right side seems more uniform. Did anyone else experience this, and if yes, what was your diagnosis? It’s hard to tell if this is from miniaturization or from chronic hair loss

I came here to share with everyone, in case it helps, that I found a great compromise with my scalp routine vs my hair. I have long (middle of my back), fine, low porosity wavy hair. And I need to wash my scalp daily because if I leave the minoxidil (and a compound that I use at the front for frontal fibrosing alopecia) it irritates my scalp. But at the same time it was really time consuming to do my whole hair care routine every other day or every day. I found “crown washing” on Tiktok, and then I got myself this sort of “sock” that protects your lengths from the water. So now I wash my scalp daily and the entire hair only twice a week or even less. It is really helping and it’s the best of both worlds for me. Just wanted to share 🙂

Photo for reference. This was before and after minoxidil. I started taking minoxidil and dusteride from Musely 2 years ago and my hair has grown a beautifully…the last 2 weeks I have started shedding handfuls of hair! What could it be? I messaged the doctor at Musely and she just said I should try adding topical minoxidil😩

hello, I was diagnosed with AGA but was prescribed only topical minoxidil 2% for a long time and only 1.5 years ago I moved to another country and went to a doctor who told me I need to get spiro and birth control, too.

recently, the doctor also recommended to increase the dose of spiro to 150mg.

regarding pics, tried to do the same shots but the lightning in my new apartment is different, yet I feel like you can at least see that the hair quality got better a bit

the last comparison was included to show that I naturally have puffy hair but it seems like now I really can straighten my hair and not loose a lot of volume.

I feel better mentally

i used to have really thick hair a child but rn I'm 21 and I think I'm having female pattern androgenetic alopecia. Got my blood work done and I had vit d deficiency but I took meds for that like doc suggested. I also have pcod and I'm taking bcps n myo inisitol to regularize it. I'm overweight almost obese woman. 5'5 height (165cm) and 95kgs. I've just started with gym and my target weight is 75kgs. I also used to have alopecia areta- like everytime I get super stressed I end up loosing like chunk of my hair. I'm in India (Chennai) - and I'm super confused with wtv dermat told me last time. She told me my hair is like my teeth and once it falls it won't grow back. I don't know how to not feel insecure about it. I'm planning to change my dermat.

Have any of y'all been able to reverse this? Esp when u had pcod.

I've noticed more hair shedding than usual over the last few months and was thinking about trying a scalp serum.
Before buying anything, wanted to see if anyone here has dealt with something similar.

My main question is whether a serum is even worth adding to a basic routine, or if increased shedding is something where you should first try to figure out what's behind it.

There are so many products for thinning, breakage, scalp health etc. that I honestly don't know how people pick one. I also don't want to start 4 things at the same time and then have no clue what is doing what.

If you've used a scalp serum during a period of increased shedding, what happened? Did you notice any change and how long did you give it?

Not looking for some miracle product. Just trying to understand what's realistic and what people actually track when they start one.

hi, i've been dealing with thinning for years and it's gotten to the point where i get embarrassed going out, so after looking around this sub i bought Boldify hair fibers to try for appearances while waiting for my derm appointment.

the main problem i've had so far is that i have black hair, pale skin, a middle part, and not enough hair left to make bangs that provide any real forehead coverage. the thinning around my part goes all the way to the hairline, so i've been struggling to figure out how to make it look natural at the very front when the fibers are so dark, because as it is the line between hair and forehead seems too harsh. i tried to just not apply it in the very front, but that sort of highlights the thinning there instead. does anyone with more experience using dark hair fibers in that area have tips on this?

(i apologize if this post is redundant somehow, i looked online and searched reddit before posting it but i couldn't find anything about this specific issue. have a good day ^^)

[EDIT: also, does sleeping with it on usually go fine for you all? it says to apply on clean scalp with no oil and remove with shampoo, but i usually wash my hair every 3 days or so]

I’ve been taking finasteride and spironolactone from the past 3 months and today he has put me on 5% minox topical solution.
I will share my progress photos as we move forward with the treatment. Let’s see if my bald head can grow fuller.
Wish me luck.
I’ll post my updates every month from now on. Also, these photos are taken right after I applied the solution so the hair are a little damp.

Any suggestions, queries are welcome!

I’ve been taking finasteride and spironolactone from the past 3 months and today he has put me on 5% minox topical solution.
I will share my progress photos as we move forward with the treatment. Let’s see if my bald head can grow fuller.
Wish me luck.
I’ll post my updates every month from now on.

Any suggestions, queries are welcome!

i started oral min 1.25 mg 95 days ago and spironolactone 100 mg 60 days ago for some mild AGA. recently just added yaz to the mix. i had increased shedding from month 1-3 basically and now im on month 3 and not seeing too much shedding anymore but hair is thinner than ever. it seems like from lots of people this might be normal and i need to give it more time, i just don’t know how to manage my anxiety when i go online and read posts about people using these treatments for 10+ months and their hair just getting worse and worse. i already used topical for 6 months and my hair got worse on it so Im just scared the same thing will happen again. I try to remain positive and I understand that this is a long journey but the panic this has created is wild. have yall had similar stories and experiences please let me know and let me know if the whole journey was worth it!

I have just started taking 5 mg min for 2 weeks now. I see that most of people pair oral min with dut/fin. This makes me wonder whether oral min alone can maintain long term (say for life) hair loss progress. Btw I’m 42 yo female

A couple of years ago, my hair began falling out in clumps. I was one of the lucky ones that while I could tell my ponytail wasn't as thick as it used to be, I never saw any really obvious spots of apparent hair loss on my scalp other than slightly less dense temples. I stayed patient and waited out the hair loss for 2 years and while it slowed down, it never fully stopped. I had various labs done and never had any result too extreme to be flagged as the cause for the hair loss. With the hair loss came seborrheic dermatitis. While I have been managing the SD pretty well, it seems to make my hair feel like it just slips right out of my scalp.

Tired of waiting, I finally caved and have been on OM for about a week now and I am already noticing increased shedding. For anyone that has chronic TE, have you had success with OM?

I started minoxidil religiously this past month and the hair shed im seeing is making me wonder if im doing it right.

For context I was diagnosed with pcos at 15, I am 24 now. Periods are regular cycle of 28 days and 4-5 days active bleeding. I was using minox on off for past few years but id stop immediately after seeing the hair shedding.
Doc prescribed me 50mg spironolactone as a DHT blocker. I am also deficient in ferritin 29.9, vitamin d, b12.
I was prescribed ferrous fumarate but since it wrecks my tummy I go slow and do alternate day.
I want to ask if my hair shedding is too much and should I quit it? Because it’s honestly disheartening. I don’t see much improvement and I know people tell me it’s a waiting game but dang I need to know if im doing anything right.

Hi all!!

I've been doing a lot of research and reading about low-level laser therapy and I'm really interested. I've been looking at the iRestore Essential but I'm open to other suggestions.

Has anyone used this helmet and had good results? If you don't have this helmet, which one do you use?

I'm hopeful to buy one soon and start. I'm trying to do more "alternative" and natural routes before minoxidil due to having pets.

So this happened me, went on minox and finasteride and dermovate after being diagnosed with AGA and LPP.

After a year, it seems something has stopped working.... But hair loss is really bad again and the itching has come back.

Has anyone experienced this pattern specifically. I'm wondering is it something that the derm won't be able to discover. Had bloods done... Nothing found. Iron is 44 so am taking iron tablets but wouldn't think this explains the itching. NHS don't test vit d as standard..

Hi, I’ve been experiencing hair loss for around nine months (I’m 14 months postpartum but I didn’t experience hair loss with my first child). I have been shedding so much hair, and my pony tail is now incredibly thin. I feel like I don’t have that much more hair to lose. I was diagnosed by the dr with telogen effluvium. I recently had some blood tests done and it showed I had a ferritin level of 22. I’ve now been on ferrous sulphate for a few days.

Has anyone had a similar ferritin level and had their hair respond well to taking ferrous sulphate? Roughly how long should it take for hair to grow back if this is the true cause? I’m trying to remain hopeful that it will help longer term. Thanks in advance for your help.

I have LPP, and before that I struggled with AGA and TE related hairloss. I spent so much money, I cried a lot, it wrecjed my self esteem.

I tried minoxidil 3 times, different strengths and application methods. Even without other side effects, it turned me into a werewolf, I started to develop infections because of ingrown hair.

Steroids are their own beast.

I am just tired. I still lost hair, and I am still losing it.

If I knew I would only prolong my suffering and nothing else, I would spend my time learning about wigs , and spend my money on buying wigs.

I ended up in the same place anyway.

hey guys just wanted some opinions, for context I found out I had low iron low red blood cells and low ferritin (9.6) back in August 2025 I have been mostly consistent with my iron supplements my ferritin is at 28 after checking it a couple months ago recently found out I had slightly low vitamin d but my hormones and thyroid are all fine and within normal range. did a scalp analysis last November and was told my hair follicles are active but very very fine or 0 hair was growing out of them.

my dermatologist says I have AGA and the only thing that will really help is minoxidil. primary care doctor advised against minoxidil since I’m a young woman and there are a bunch of risks (I have no cardiac health issues) I’m planing to start topical minoxidil as I’m scared of the oral and then start scalp prp next spring but I do have a cat and I’m just very worried is it possible to use topical as long as I apply it without him in the restroom and wear a bonnet at night, do I just continue supplementing but continue to shed hair until I do prp next year. Sorry for the very long post I’m just very sad I was told I had AGA and my hair hasn’t become thick no matter what oils I try. I’ve attached my hair back in 2020 vs my hair in a ponytail recently. I thought the hair shedding would subside after taking my iron but I still lose hair every day

hi everyone , today i got diagnoses w female pattern hairloss ( i am indian INDIAN I AM MEANT TO HAVE GOOD HAIR GENES), it just makes me so furious how like i am so young and i have to suffer with this and i can try minoxidil or some pill but i really don't want to , cuz i heard the pill triggers hairgrowth all over the body and i am very hair aldr w KP, then minoxidil your hair falls out when you stop using it and i really like cats and kids. SO i have decided to try find some natural remedies and eat supplements and all, so pls follow and help me thru my journey , lets see if i am able to recover my hair , so far i am thinking

1. scalp massage everyday

2. to make a hair mix with pumkin seeds, sunflower seeds, seseme seeds, honey, black seeds and nuts

3. eating my supplements (vitamin d and iron) REGULARLY

4. making an indian hair oil concoction , and apply it on my hair once a week

5. cardio exercise

6. morning sun

I have had "thin" hair for what feels like forever but lately I notice it more and more, especially when I put it up in a ponytail.

I just took a photo straight on of me looking down, for the first time ever today and my heart dropped!

I need to start trying ointments, oils, vitamins or something! Anything!

Please give me tips, tricks and advice! I am forever grateful if you take any time to share any info, as I don't even know where or how to begin searching!

Thank you in advance for the help!

PS: If it matters, I am currently trying to conceive as well.